Here we go again, another international food fight. Last Saturday, CNN released a list of the best desserts from around the globe, flaunting the likes of Turkey’s baklava, Sicily’s cannolis, France’s lemon tart, and Thailand’s mango sticky rice.
Oh, and the sweet, cool taste of cendol, a Singaporean treat.
Hark, what’s that rumbling sound we hear in the distance? ’Tis a stampede of supremely-triggered Malaysians and Indonesians rushing forth to condemn CNN for their alleged error and, of course, Singapore for yet another dish wrongly attributed to the city-state. Honestly though, we had nothing to do with CNN’s list — they’re the ones who believe that “Singapore’s take on the classic treat remains especially tempting” thanks to the addition of sweetened red beans.
Without further ado, here are all the angry reactions from social media.
As a Malaysian I don’t want to claim cendol is ours but…..
I FREAKING KNOW IT’S NEVER FROM SINGAPORE AND IT’S NOT A SINGAPOREAN SPECIALTY!!!#cendol #cnn— You are doing great☁🌞☁ (@Itsfineandokay) December 4, 2018
@CNN Cendol is NOT from Singapore…….. Singapore HAS cendol doesn’t mean its from Singapore. Maybe change it to “Cendol, Malaysia/Indonesia”?#cendol #CendolNotFromSingapore pic.twitter.com/tRT9R2rjtq
— Ong Jun Ren (@ongjunren08051) December 4, 2018
@CNN urmmm…. have you guys tried cendol from Malaysia? Especially Melaka? pic.twitter.com/4xz5BaNBoZ
— Jimminx (@XDJimminx) December 3, 2018
Helli @cnn I’m Indonesian, and I know, Cendol isn’t from Singapore!! It’s from Malaysia! Then u shud explain this why they used “Gula Melaka” in the making of Cendol? I respect you malaysian! For those indonesian claim cendol is from Indonesia, ignore them. They’re just ****
— ひざみ (@hizami_kyu) December 4, 2018
Gw yakin ini dari indonesia tapi ga asli spt yg lain ini peranakan. Cendol bukan dari malaysia apalagi dari singapura @cnn cendol nalaysia dibawa dari orang2 indo yang menetap/bekerja di malaysia dan singapura. https://t.co/bsayQiiZHy
— Ya Sallam (@OntaRacing) December 4, 2018
@CNN bengong. Cendol is from indonesia #claimselagiboleh
— AbangBurgerJalanan🍔🇲🇾🌺 (@Mohfaszak87) December 4, 2018
Cendol berasal dari Indonesia…minggu depan mesti Indonesia protes depan pejabat CNN…huhu
— asyadi (@CocosCat) December 4, 2018
To be fair, CNN did acknowledge that versions of cendol can be found throughout Southeast Asia — it’s just that they found Singapore’s take to be the best, as subjective as that may be. Regarding its origins, the exact birth of the icy dessert is unclear but its very name is believed to be derived from the word “jendol”, a Javanese, Indonesian, and Sundanese word meaning “bumping”. iFood notes that it could refer to the “bumpy sensations” in the stomach when gulping down the green wormy jellies.
So, we win?
